the family fang

fiction fiction fiction, say what you will. a lot of folks say it's a great thing for the wintertime. 


since it's appears that wintertime is closing in, i thought i'd bring up this book. "the family fang" by kevin wilson. it's the best piece of fiction i've encountered in ages. 

i feel like i'd be terrible at literary review and have no intention of starting...so i'll just leave it with some stolen words from the author's website, http://www.wilsonkevin.com/:


Mr. and Mrs. Fang called it art. Their children called it mischief. 
 Performance artists Caleb and Camille Fang dedicated themselves to making great art. But when an artist’s work lies in subverting normality, it can be difficult to raise well-adjusted children. Just ask Buster and Annie Fang. For as along as they can remember, they starred (unwillingly) in their parents’ madcap pieces. But now that they are grown up, the chaos of their childhood has made it difficult to cope with life outside the fishbowl of their parents’ strange world.
 When the lives they’ve built come crashing down, brother and sister have nowhere to go but home, where they discover that Caleb and Camille are planning one last performance—their magnum opus—whether the kids agree to participate or not. Soon, ambition breeds conflict, bringing the Fangs to face the difficult decision about what’s ultimately more important: their family or their art.
 Filled with Kevin Wilson’s endless creativity, vibrant prose, sharp humor, and keen sense of the complex performances that unfold in the relationships of people who love one another, The Family Fang is a masterfully executed tale that is as bizarre as it is touching.

this book was delivered to me from mrs. mary steffens, wrapped in a pair of canvas fangs handed out as part of a performance art project called "aliens of the devil". clever and thoughtful, and excitement on my part, as the book was just recently added to my read list. 

perfect timing. a lot of things in this that i needed to read, even a few close to home things, like a detailed bit about an art project almost identical to one that we, (knee shy), had planned. 

and even though i often say that i don't really care for illustrators, the cover art by Julie Morstad is pretty cute, and apparently tattoo-worthy for some...

...it's seems as though nicole kidman has gained the film rights for this...hopefully this doesn't end up giving me a new reason to dislike her.

THE TOP 9 THINGS OF 2010! EAT IT!

Ha ha ha hrrrrr… how low can I fucking get? That’s right, a “TOP whatever-i-wanna-draw-attention-to” list of 2010!!! Why would I do such a thing?

1. It’s my birthday.
2. I’m kinda overworked, and this is the easiest online writing wonk I could manage.
3. If I don’t write it down I might forget some of this.
4. …

So hear it is…the TOP 9 random things I wish to mention. Enjoy:

1.Top thing I wish for, that came true: Rain in Socal, Jerry Brown as Gov’ner. 

2.Top book I’ve READ (as opposed to REREAD) this year:
“Angle of Yaw” by: Ben Lerner

 

3.Top favorite artist:
Ryan Trecartin.

4.Top insult directed at me as a person:
Something in Spanish…I’m still not sure what it twas, I’m still working on my Spanish. (tied with being confused for Julian Assange.)

 

5.Top event I kick myself in the ass for missing:
It’s a tie between:
1. Alice Coltrane tribute at Royce Hall featuring: Kyp Malone, Nels Cline, Han Bennik, Flying Lotus, + others
2. Yoko Ono at the Orpheum with special guests: Thurston Moore, Lady Gaga, RZA, Sean Lennon, Yuka Honda, Carrie Fisher, Iggy Pop…and I guess a bunch of other people. 

 

6.Favorite weird-ass kung fu movie watched on Netflix:
“Dressed To Fight”

7.Top most interesting person roaming my neighborhood: No hands man…a guy who has no hands and rants an insane star wars infused military-esque radio conversation about assassinating Frank Zappa.

8.Favorite local radio personality: Henry Rollins. He’s funny and he starts every show by yelling salaam alaikum, and when he doesn’t yell it, and just says it. I feel like it’s gonna be boring, but it isn’t.

9.Most favorite food of the year: Radish.

….oh. Anything important you wanted to mention?

-sure. Top mind-blowing reissued record: The Reactors- “I Want Sex” 7”

…actually anything Last Laugh is putting out.

Top suggested read for ya’ll in the new year: Send.

aliens of the devil- a short informative video

as a part of the Not Ugly - Inner Beauty Pageant (part II), we presented, or did our best to present this brief video about aliens of the devil...remember...the band doesn't make any sound?! anyway, it's now online, and probably much easier to access than thru our technical difficulties the other nite. maybe and/or sorry! twas fun! and everybody involved with the event is entirely the best! and here it is...
narrated by Nhoj Daswon, with interview from Mr. Circa. publication himself...Jonathan Jay, with help from the wonderful Ms. Dyer and Ms Knoll...and there are a ton more thanks to hand out than I can gather here!

not ugly - inner beauty pageant

j-e-remy of d-e-vil with the "background suicide" EP.

not ugly, an extremely multi-faceted inner beauty pageant/talent show/installation/etc., kicked off with it's opening reception last saturday (july 3rd) at DIY GAllery here in wonderful little los angeles. there was plenty of totally taser factory art, performances, and other fun by aliens of the devil, stepfather, the steffens too, collin manning, eddie pepitone, gregg lopez, and others, all curated by the lovely danielle collins.

devon steffens with photos.j. s-h-elley of d-e-vil with 2 fanged up cats.

though the opening is in the bag, the show is still rolling throughout the month of july (during the gallery's open hours), and comes to a spectacular close on saturday july 31st with the second installment of art action pageantry!

aliens of the devil, the new non-audio thrash/dub band from (knee shy), is thrilled as a clam to be a part of the whole goddamn thing! one offering we have conjured up is our new limited edition EP: “Background Suicide”, which features visual remixes of 4 rad songs by 4 killer bands with the word “suicide” in their name (you can probably guess at least one).

if you missed it the first time around, stop by the gallery when they're open, or make a note to check out round 2 on the 31st! there will be more performances, including the aliens of the devil infomercial!

good epic times....

devon steffens with elbow x-ray.

FROM NOT UGLY::: NOT UGLY Inner Beauty Pageant @ DIY GAllery 1549 West Sunset Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90026 • 213.977.9602 NOT UGLY Inner Beauty Pageant is an exhibit of literary and artistic works published from within our Athenaeum. This first in a series, celebrates those who might go unnoticed due to their natural breast size or their ability to spell potato. We spotlight the splendor of the truth, the strange and the marvelous with staged and framed works that document the high road taken by each of the multi-sexy contestant chosen to compete for The Audience Award and purse of $500. Make your vote count for Keith Niles, Eddie Pepitone, Gregg Lopez, Kate and Devon are The Steffens Too, and Aliens of the Devil stars Jeremy Kennedy & Shelly Harrison. Additional works and support from artists Colin Manning, Terril Lewis, Ben Phen, Peter Soby Jr., STEPFATHER'S Ian Jay, Josh Achziger, Gabriel Mounsey, Danielle Collins and from our host Roger Steffens. Each person that steps into the gallery will receive a Voting Ballot and a Program that describes the Talent and the Art Auction.

Tickets are $10, come with a cocktail and are good for the Talent Show on July 3 and the Talent Show on July 31st. Entrance is $0 from 7-9p. Space is limited. You can reserve tickets in advance at: brownpapertickets.com/event/117511

July 3 • Vote, Art Auction @ 7p with a Talent Show part1 at 10p
July 31 • Vote, Art Auction @ 7p with a Talent Show part2 at 10p
DIY GAllery is open to Vote or Bid on Art Auction Tue-Sat 12pm-6pm
The winner of the Pageant and Art Auction is announced at midnight July 31.

See you there and thank you for supporting art in America.

Aliens of the Devil- Band= Yes / Sound= No

(knee shy), together with the help of imaginary and non-imaginary friends, bring you "aliens of the devil" (herein referred to as AotD)...a band that doesn't make sound. this project seems to be creating a good deal of questions, along with confusion. so, allow me a moment to break this down as simply as possible...
FAQs:
1. Q-Is AotD a band?
A-Yes.

2. Q-Does AotD make any sound?
A-No.

3. Q-Does AotD have any songs?
A-Yes.

4. Q-What the fuck? How does that work?
A-Our songs and song ideas are actualized through graphic design images and composites, not sound.

5. Q-That sounds fun...but how can you call yourselves a "real band"?
A-Check it, pal! We do everything a "real band" does, only without sound. We write songs. We record these songs in the form of images. These images are compiled into collections, and each collection is an album. We play shows by exhibiting these images. AotD is a fully functioning band with the ability to have fans, merchandise, go on tour, be reviewed by pitchfork, etc.

6. Q-Is Tiger Woods really in the band?
A-Yes, but not the one you are thinking of.


here's the long form version:

During the waning months of 2009, (knee shy), the moniker for collaborative work by artists j. shelley harrison and jeremy kennedy, created a new project titled: “Aliens of the Devil”.

The Aliens of the Devil project is an amalgamous art/sound entity, essentially a band, but with a conceptual twist to it’s function. Steeped in the more absurd side of both of our respective artistic aesthetics, AotD can possibly be described as: alter-ego art project in the guise of a thrash-metal/hardcore band influenced by reggae with a strong interest in chinese folklore, turn experimental noise duo hiding behind graphic design.

Currently, Aliens of the Devil have yet to write, perform, or record any sounds, and it is quite possible that we never will (directly). In place of this seemingly essential element of being a musical entity, we have replaced songs with 2-dimensional graphic designs. These composite images are meant to serve as a visual representation of what the songs would sound like, or how the sound is visually conceptualized.

In continuation of this attitude, we are planning to complete the picture of being a band. This will involve developing our identity and career in a way that emulates the normal process and marketing of a group or artist which traditionally makes sound. Aliens of the Devil will have albums (collections), songs (pieces), and shows (exhibitions), and so on. Here is an example:

We are currently in the process of recording (designing) the debut AotD full length record (collection): “Poison in the Blade”. Each track on the new record is represented by a graphic design image, complete with ‘song title’, ‘track time’, etc. These pieces are actualized as archival ink-jet prints on 12 inch LP record sleeves. The release party for “Poison in the Blade” will be an exhibition of all these pieces, which represent each track on the album. And, just as the sound has been interpreted as images, the exhibition is interpreted as a performance, wherein AotD will be ‘performing’ every song on the new record by displaying the corresponding images to an audience.

So, if you like the idea of audio-lizing....check Aliens of the Devil. It's like being scratched by the long, black fingernails of jiang-shi while standing front row at a John Holt concert wearing a ripped up Corrosion of Conformity t-shirt!

myspace.com/aliensofthedevil
facebook: aliens of the devil